Coalition hopes to cut CO deaths

Two winters ago, 314 Utahns suffered the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning and 23 died. While the count varies slightly year to year, carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable. And a coalition of experts hope to head the deaths and illnesses off entirely by urging awareness and proper precautions.

You cannot see or smell carbon monoxide, a gas that is a by-product of fossil fuel that's not completely burned during use. People have been injured and killed by auto exhaust in enclosed areas, but also by small gas engines, camp lanterns and stoves, gas ranges and furnaces, among other sources.

It can happen any time of year, and people should be diligent all the time, but the numbers shoot up in the winter, when houses are more likely to be sealed too tight, furnace vents are blocked by snow, people warm up cars in closed garages or they try to save money by using alternative heat sources. Marty Malheiro of the Utah Poison Control Center says the number of carbon-monoxide incoming calls will start to go up.

Infants, unborn babies, the elderly and people with respiratory challenges are at greatest risk, she says, so the center and experts from Questar Gas, the Unified Fire Authority and the state's health department want everyone to know symptoms of CO poisoning. Those include chronic or severe headaches and dizziness — especially if they're shared by those living together — nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Symptoms that quit when you leave and come back when you return are a real warning, she says.

Everyone should have carbon monoxide detectors on the different levels of their home. And Darren Shepherd, spokesman for Questar, says customers need to have a professional inspect their natural gas equipment. "It's clean and safe," but only if the furnace or water heater are operating properly. An expert needs to see that the right air and fuel mix exists, that the vent is clear and the byproducts are venting out. Questar recommends finding technicians certified by the Rocky Mountain Gas Association.